Annealing-furnace.



T. J. COSTELLO.

ANNEALING FURNAGE.

APPLICATION FILED my 2a, 1913.

Patented May 19, 1914.

UNI E OFFICE 1 reams J. Q STEL Q. b1? P W I A-NNEALZIENG FURNLE.

Specification of Letters Patent. el minati filed m 28, 18. Seria In. 770.8%-

l at nted May 19. 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Tnome J. Cos'rELm, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Middletown, county of Butler, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in, Annealing-Furnaces, of

which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification. y

My invention relates to annealing furnaces or the continuous type in which means are provided for carrying the sheets or plates through in a continuous heating process.

The object of my invention is to provide in such a furnace simple and efiicacious means for carrying the sheets or plates through the furnace.

A further object of my invention is to provide means for automatically removing the sheets or plates from the furnace after the process has been completed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a cross section of an annealing furnaceconstructcd in accordance with my invention Fig. 2- is a side elevation of the same, part being broken away in the middle; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of one of the carrying rollers.

The numeral 1 designates a furnace of any desired construction, the same being of suitable length, however, to provide for the continuous annealing process. Said furnace is provided witha grate 2, and door 3 giving access to the fire chamber. Supported by brackets 4 on the outside of the furnace, are journal boxes 5 in whichv the shafts 6 of the carrying rollers are journaled. These shafts are hollow, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 to provide passage for a cooling liquid. The hearth of my new an nealing furnace, is composed of the carrying rollers, said rollers being constructed as follows? The shafts 6 are provided with collars 7; said cellars areof'metal or other suitable material, and the same fit. tightly around the. shafts. The: two faces of the collars I are beveled, asshcwnin Fig. 3, for the purpose hereinafter set forth. (311 each of the shafts 6 are also collars 8; these collars are constructed of the same material as collars 7, and they are slidablykeyed on the f Ea li of. the collars 8 is provided with one beveledfaoe. Attached to each collar 8, or formed integrally therewith, is a sleeve 9 which carries a collar 10 at its free end. Between the sleeves 9 on each shaft and the shaft there is an insulatingspace. Secured to the shaft, by means of set screws, beyond the collars 10, are rings 11. Between the collars 10 and rings 11 are compression springs 19. The shafts 6 extend transversely through the furnace,

the sleeves 9 passing through the while there of. The collars 8 and 10, the former being keyed to the shaft, revolve therewith, but the some are adapted to slide thereon under pressure.

Each of the carrying rollers composing the hearth has a middle section 13 and end sections 14 constructed of any suitable refractory material as chrome clay. These sections have openings of slightly greater diameter than the diameter of the shaft 6, and said openings are beveled or reamed, so that the sections may rest firmlyon the beveled faces of the collars 7 and 8. The fitting of the sections to the collars is such as to leave a space between the ends of the middle section and the adjacent ends of the sections 14, for the purpose hereinafter set forth. The-difference in diameter between the shaft and the openings'in the roller sections, leaves air spaces 15 for'insulation between the shaft and roller. The sections are so shaped that when placed in position they will form aconcaved roller, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3.

On one end of each of the shafts 6 is a sprocket wheel 17, and a sprocket chain 18 is provided to drive all the shafts uniformly. For the purpose of power, a bevel gear 19 is provided on the end of one of the shafts,

the same intermeshing with a similar gear and outside of the furnace at the mouth of said opening is a pair of ejecting rollers 25 and26. These are large, heavy rollers, and they receive power from the sprocket cham '18, being geared, however, to run at a greater speed than the carrying rollers. The upper roller' 26 is mounted so that it may be lifted in its bearings by means of the Earlier 27 for the purpose hereinafter specie For thehpurpose of. maintaining a pressure of the cooling liquid in the shafts6, one end of each shaft has a reduced opening, as shown at 28.

. j The operation of my invention is as follows: The sheets, or plates, are inserted through the opening22 at the front "ofzthe the end of the sheet between the ejecting rollers 25 and 26; these rollers, running at a greaterispeed than the carrying rollers, will immediatel take up the sheet and eject it from the urnace. Should the rollers 25 .and 26 for any reason become clogged the latter may be raised by means of the ever 27 to remedy the difliculty. These rollers also re-flatten the sheets. The construction of the carrying rollers as above described is especially adapted to provide for accurate and eflicient operation during the exigencies of use. The rollers being constructed of refractory material, that is material which refract-s, or turns back, the heat instead of absorbing the same, the sheets or plates pass through a zone of relatively intense heat, the

temperature of this zone being continuously renewed by the revolutions of the rollers, the portions cooled by contact with the sheets bein continuously replaced by uncooled portions. The expansion of the rollers when heated will be taken care of by the-compression of the tension springs 12, the collars 8 and 10 sliding to the degree necessary upon the shaft. Such expansion is also provided for by the construction of the. rollers in sections and the leaving of spaces between the adjacent ends of the sections. Radial expansion coupled with longitudinal" expansion of the roller sections is also permitted by reason of the beveling of the faces of the collars 7 and 8. By these means uniform operation of the carrying rollers is obtained,

as well as security against the crackin or breaking of the rollers, and a zone 0 invcollars and said roller sections being tense heat is maintained through which the sheets or plates ass in the annealing process. Having thus described'my invent1on,what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is: p

1. In an annealing-furnace, the combination with the furnace of a hearth composed of a series of concave carrying rollers, said rollers being made sections and. being adapted to carry sheets or plates through said furnace during the annealing process, means normally to 'mamtam sa1d sections at a distance from each other, andmeans to revolve said rollers in a uniform direction.

2. In an annealing furnace, the combination with the furnace of a hearth composed of a seriesof c'oncave'ca'rrying rollers, said rollers being made in sections and being adapted to carry sheets or plates through said furnace during the annealing process, means to revolve said rollers in auniform direction, and'ejecting rollers,.said ejecting rollers being adapted to move said sheets or platesat a greater rate of-speed than said carrying rollers.

3. A carrying roller for an annealing furnace comprising a shaft mounted in said furnace, collars mounted on said shaft, and

a series of roller sections mounted between said collars, the bearingsurfaces of said correlatively beveled, and the intermediate collars being adaptednormally to maintain said roller sections at a distance from each other.

4:. A carrying= roller for an annealing furnace comprising a shaft mounted in said furnace, collars mounted on said shaft, a series of roller sections mounted between said collars, the bearing surfaces of said collars and said roller sections being-correlatively beveled, and. an insulating space between said sections and said shaft.

"5. A carrying roller for 'an annealing furnace comprismg a shaft mounted in'said furnace collars mounted onsaid shaft, the end collars being slidable thereon, a series of roller sections mounted between said collars, the intermediate collars being adapted normally to maintain said roller sections at a dlstance from each other, and means whereby said slidable collars are maintained under compression in proper position with reference to said roller sections.

. 6. A carrying roller for an annealing furnace comprising ashaft mounted in said furnace collars mounted on said shaft, the end collars being slidable thereon, a series of roller sections mounted between said collars, an insulating space between said sections and said shaft, and means whereby said slidable collars are maintained under compression in. roper position with reference to saidro er sections.

7. A carrying roller for an annealin proper position with reference to said roller 10 furnace comprising a shaft mounted in sal sections. v furnace, collars mounted on said shaft, the In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set end collars being slidable thereon, a series my hand this 20 day of May, 1913.

i of rollersections mounted between said 001- I THOMAS J. COSTELLO lars, the bearing surfaces of said collars and said roller sectlons being correlatively bev- Witnesses:

eled, and means whereby said slidable c01- ARTHUR H. EWALD, lars are maintained under compression in FREDK J. WENDELN. 

